Non-empty mailboxes make for happy Mondays

Monday, Monday, so good to me! Really. Through the foggy morning I plodded toward class propelled by a hope: the hope of checking my mail and not leaving empty-handed.

To make a long story shorter, in recent history, four pieces of mail traversed the ocean, survived the journey through the continent, and made it into my welcoming arms. This morning before literature class, one single letter greeted me and I confess--I was disappointed. (I had expected more!) Later today, before I had an unexpected --and dreaded, due to the fact I had forgotten things over a long break--dance class, I looked in my mailbox again, not expecting anything as joyous as the--gasp!--three letters patiently awaiting me. I am thankful to such wonderful friends like Rosie and Lara and my dear brother Peter, from whom I received two letters: one of which a lovely, water-colored Easter greeting by his own artistic hand. The letters I got were just the way I like 'em: in handwriting (which is a double-standard I guess, as I only print my letters) on unlined paper (and Rosie's was handmade by her! Hers is such beautiful work, as you can see here on Etsy.) and folded either in half or thirds. Why such detail about these letters? Well, they made me just that happy, I suppose.

And, as I will no longer be at this address as of May 18th (I will be in Sevilla until June 12th though; perhaps I'll ask CC-CS if I may continue to use their mailing address? I will let you know) anything that is going to arrive here ought to be sent fairly soon, I believe it takes about a week to come to me. After that, I will only be able to receive virtual letters until August 2nd, when I´ll be back in the good ol' US of A.

In Córdoba, España, one of the places I went to during my dad's visit here, we stopped by shop selling an enormous variety of leather products: notebooks, bags, pillows, even bowls and my favorite--leather chests! My dream is to get a leather chest in which to store the thoughtful letters I've received over the years, among the few, sundry wordly posessions I treasure enough to store in such a lovely, functional piece of art. Enough words spent on letters though.
I would definitely recommend this leather shop (Taller Meryan, I believe) to anyone visiting Córdoba. First of all, la Mezquita is a must-see: it is the most uniquely beautiful building I've seen during my time in Europe thus far and once you're in the city, check out this shop and the amazing--and pricey--chests. Walk up the Calle de Flores and at the end, turn right.

A long-term, international traveler's concern: Visas. For anyone who is curious or runs into an issue similar to mine, the Spanish Visa actually allows a 30-day grace period after the expiration date. I was relieved to hear this as I believe the Spanish consulate in Chicago made an error on my Visa application and gave me the six-month allowance for earlier than the dates for which I applied. My Visa expires July 25th and I fly out of Sevilla August 1st and out of Lisbon August 2nd. Instead of worrying--which is always, always a bad idea--I just asked the kind people in the office at CC-CS and was instantly through with that concern.

Next up: train travel in Europe. I need to include Norway, Germany, Paris or Marseilles, Budapest and Salzburg at least...in 1.5 months of travel. ¡Caramba!

EDIT 26/4/11: I actually will be leaving Spain May 30th, rather than staying for the extra two weeks. That frees up my summer a bit more and though I'll miss out on a few euros, I'm glad the way things worked out. Norway, here I come!